The Last Skywalker
by Canon Archives
Summary: TROS SPOILERS! Rey's perspective during Ben's five minutes of glory. ReyxBen


**Hello there! This is my first time dabbing into this fandom. I am by no means a hardcore Star Wars fan. I know nothing about any of the books or spin offs or canon/non-canon things people have created over the years. But I have seen all the original movies which I love, and all of the new Disney movies, so that's what I am going off of. After being sorely disappointed by the first two Disney ones (particularly TLJ), I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed seeing The Rise of Skywalker. **

**For one fleeting moment, we got to see Ben Solo be the beautiful human being that I wanted him to be from the beginning. It was the most gratifying thing, and I just had to write it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars. The scene I am writing belongs to JJ Abrams, who I am so thankful came back to do the third movie.**

**I hope you like it!**

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Rey stood alone in front of Emperor Palpatine, the dark echoes of the Sith surrounding her. He wanted her to strike him down, give in to the Dark Side, and take his place on the Sith throne.

She had every reason to fear him, every reason to feel anger towards him, and every reason to want to destroy him. This awful distortion-of-a-man had killed her parents and he wanted to harm her friends.

But she could also feel the blood connection to him though the Force. For the first time, Rey was able to wrap her mind around the fact that this really was her grandfather. She could feel all of his fear and anger and darkness, for it mirrored the darkness in herself.

It was for this reason that she was able to resist the temptation of power that the Emperor lay before her. He was afraid and angry and filled with unhappiness, so much so that he wanted to die. All this man yearned for was death by her hand, and it was only his sheer will to live that was keeping him alive.

Rey was overcome with pity for this old man, and she shook her head. She would not give in to the Dark Side. But what _could_ she do?

It was then that she felt _him_ \- a familiar presence in the Force that was indescribable yet distinctly recognizable to her. She knew the feeling like she knew herself. It felt like comfort and belonging - it felt like _home_. Yet it was always accompanied by a powerful darkness that kept her from reaching for it. Every time she felt it she was filled with fear and anger - not towards him, for she could never be afraid of him - but towards herself. She was terrified of the power that came with the Dark Side, and angry that she felt tempted by it. That's why she always ran from him, no matter how much she wanted to do the opposite. That's why she would not take his hand.

But now, the indescribable presence that was so distinctly _him_ filled Rey with an immediate feeling of strength and hope. It was accompanied by a warm light, like an early morning sun, and she felt her heart give a jolt of excitement. She reached out to him through their Force bond, and she could feel his determination and urgency overpowering his fear. _I'm here, Rey_, he seemed to call out. _I'm here. I'm here._

_Ben._

She reached out to him further so she could see where he was. As her vision cleared, she could see dark walls of a corridor and masked figures surrounding him.

He needed a weapon.

Rey brought her hand to her waist, where she pulled Luke Skywalker's lightsaber from her belt. She was vaguely aware of Palpatine's smug grin as he mistakenly thought she was going to use the weapon to strike him down. But Rey was focused on Ben and the corridor and the Sith guards who surrounded him. She concentrated, feeling Ben's body heat behind her as though they were standing back to back. She knew that he felt her too and understood what she was going to do.

Rey slowly and carefully brought the glowing blue lightsaber around her shoulder so that the weapon was face down behind her back. She felt his finger tips brush against her hand as he took hold of the hilt, sending fiery sparks down her spine.

When she knew he had hold of the lightsaber, she let go.

Rey let out a breath and reached for her second saber, Leia's saber, on her belt. She could sense Ben fighting off the guards, and she could feel that he was very close. She opened her weapon just as a Sith guard went flying through the air. When she turned to see what happened, she sucked in a sharp breath.

He was there, right in front of her, his black clothes torn and tattered and covered in dirt as his powerful dark eyes bore into hers. The brilliant blue glow of his lightsaber surrounded him like a king. It was him, or everything Rey knew that he was, and yet she had never really seen him until now. Before her stood a man who embodied the legacy of every legend she had ever known. He radiated the passion of his mother Leia, the confidence of his father Han Solo, the strength of his uncle Luke, and the determination of his grandfather Anakin.

Before her stood the Last Skywalker.

Ben moved towards her in what felt like slow motion. Rey opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but could not form any words. When he reached her side, she realized that she did not need to. The open vulnerability in his eyes said everything. He was _here_. He was afraid, but he was here, and that all that really mattered. He was going to fight by her side even if it killed him. He was here for _her._

She nodded silently, letting him know that she understood, and they simultaneously turned to face the Emperor. With their matching blue lightsabers side by side, Rey felt more confident than she had ever felt in her life. They were finally together, and together they could do anything.

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**Thank you for reading! I am going to stop here for now because I do not have access to the movie while it is still in theaters, and I want to get all the dialogue right and everything. What I wrote here is just from my memory of what happened. Also, I am trying to decide whether or not I _like_ that he died, or if I should change it...**

**Anyway, I'll update again once I can re-watch the moment about fifty more times. Please please leave a review to let me know your thoughts. I always appreciate it!**


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